State Report Denounces New York City Hospitals

June 11, 1986|By United Press International

NEW YORK — Six of the city's 11 busiest hospitals were cited Tuesday by the state Health Department for allowing unlicensed doctors to perform surgery, filthy conditions and incompetent administrators.

Victor Botnick, the health and hospitals chairman and a close adviser to Mayor Edward Koch, deserves ''the lion's share'' of the blame for the problems, City Council President Andrew Stein said in outlining the charges.

Koch has been embroiled in a scandal in his administration since he was elected to a third term in November. Last week he told reporters that Botnick admitted lying for a decade about having a college degree.

After Botnick finally admitted that he did not graduate from college, Koch said he would give Botnick ''a second chance'' because he was a ''first rate'' administrator.

Stein said Tuesday that the mayor ''might want to re-evaluate his position.''

The reports, based on a state probe, cited six of the city's 11 hospitals for acute care for violations of the health code. Administrators of five of the six hospitals were cited for incompetence.

''I would not want to go personally to these hospitals,'' Stein said.

The six hospitals cited were Bellevue, Harlem, Queens, Woodhull, Kings County and North Central Bronx.

Harlem Hospital, which got the most serious review, was denounced for allowing unlicensed and unqualified doctors to perform surgery and administer anesthesia and for allowing unsanitary conditions in patients' rooms.

Bellevue was cited for fire and safety violations, health code violations in several departments, including the emergency room, and failure to properly document nursing care and medication.

The state can impose sanctions ranging from a $1,000 fine for each offense to revocation of a hospital's operating certificate, a move that could result in closing the hospital.

Koch defended the hospitals, saying they are as good as private operations. ''We do as well as the others,'' Koch insisted.

This year the hospital corporation's former president, John McLaughlin, was indicted on a charge of accepting bribes from a hospital consulting company in exchange for his help in winning a contract with the health and hospitals council.